A Short History of Hearses-- Part 2: Riding Out in Style

The most enduring hearse company has been the S & S Coach Company of Lima, Ohio, which was founded in 1876 to make horse-drawn hearse carriages.  Initially named Sayers & Scovill, they still make about 500 hearses a year in Lima with a staff of 75.

They buy cars from dealers, split them, "decontent" them, allowing only the portions they require,  stretch the lengths, weld them back together and install casket floors.  The rear doors (through which the casket is slid) is made from scratch.

Because they've added so much weight (hearses can weigh up to 7,000 pounds) they also have to have stronger brakes.

A standard hearse  sells for at least $110,000

Back in the 1970s, there were 20 hearse makers,but now the number is down to five.

Something I didn't know.  One of Neil Young's earliest bands toured in a 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse nicknamed "Mort";  his 1976 song "Long May You Run", written with Stephen Stills, was a tribute to that car.

Then, Of Course, The" Ghostbusters" Hearse.  Who You Gonna Call?  --Cooter

Just In Time for Halloween: A Short History of Hearses and Those Who Collect Them-- Part 1

From the Oct. 30, 2019, Chicago Tribune "Honk, but only if you're macabre" by Christopher Borrelli.

This is an article about people in the Chicago area who collect hearses.There are even clubs devoted to collecting hearses named Hardcore Hearse Club, Grim Rides Chicago and the Las Ryd's Hearse Club.

I've seen the occasional hearse as car shows.

SOME HISTORY OF HEARSES

The hearse, or "funeral coach" as the industry prefers, is actually a custom car  When a fleet of hearses are ordered it is not likely that any two will be 100% identical.  The traditional hearse is essentially a single luxury vehicle that has been split in two, outfitted with a long chassis to extend the length and then sculpted back into shape.

Hearses were initially pulled by horses, but the first one to use a standard combustion engine appeared in 1909, a year after the Model T was introduced.  The hearse industry, like the larger car industry, began in the Midwest, except the car-makers did not have hearse divisions.

The first motorized hearses were made by Crane & Breed of Cincinnati and advertised being able to travel at "fifteen miles-per-hour faster than any hearse should have to go."  About a decade later, the president of the company, Austin Breed, poisoned himself to death and they switched to caskets.

--Riding Out With Style.  --Cooter

Looking Back to 1941: DeKalb World War I Last Man's Club Buys Hearse

From the August 24, 2016, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1941, 75 Years Ago.

"Although they deny that the vehicle was purchased as originally intended, a group of DeKalb World War veterans (remember, this date before World War I for the U.S.) all of whom are members of the Last Man's Club, recently purchased an old hearse.

"The hearse, of early vintage insofar as automobiles are concerned, was purchased from Emil Johnson of Sycamore."

For the Last Man?  ----Cooter